Sebacean physiology

[Nieda]

How exactly does Sebacean physiology work? In "Exodus from Genesis" we find out that they are cold-blooded and cannot regulate their body temperature, yet both Aeryn and Crais sweat quite a lot from time to time. Second, when (in "Relativity"?) some aliens are searching for Crais and Crichton with a heat-seeking device, it registers two figures hiding in a bush. Shouldn't Crais be the same temperature as his surroundings?

The best word for this kind of questions would probably be "nitpicking", but oh well...

[Rav Winston]

Well, strictly speaking, cold-blooded animals rely on the environment to help regulate their temperature, but that doesn't mean that they are the same temperature as their environment.

The idea that a higher mammal would be cold-blooded sounds kind of stupid to me. So I just interpret it as meaning that Sebaceans cannot adjust to rapid changes in ambient temperature, and are as tolerant of heat as any Northern European or Innuit would be.

[2Bones]

Is it the case that Sebaceans are cold-blooded, or is it rather that they have an inferior cooling system relative to humans? My feeling is that, if they are indeed modified ancient humans, some homoeostatic mechanism is compromised. There are several drugs that can compromise a person's ability to regulate their internal temperatures. For example, alcohol causes slight hypothermia, and MDMA (exctasy) causes hyperthermia. These states represent a deviation from the internal baseline temperature which is approximately 98 degrees farenheit. It could be that, through genetic tampering, Sebaceans have a compromised thermostatic setpoint system, thus putting them in danger when external temperatures reach a certain threshold beyond their acceptable range (which seems to be more narrow than the human's). Of course, humans have their own limitations with the heat, they just seem to have higher thresholds.

[Mreen]

yes, they goofed up a bit with that. They claimed they couldnt regulate tempature, then show Aeryn sweating all the time. Which, you know, is a temperature regulating function.

They also then showed Sebacians dont mind cold at all, John would be shivering and Aeryn would be dressed normally, uneffected by the cold. If she was coldblooded, then her temperature range would be much narrower than humans, she'd do worse in cold (sluggish) and in heat.

The only out I see is that D'Argo actually said their brain cant regulate its temperature.. so somehow their brain is the only part of the body that doesnt cool down properly in its thickly cased skull. Perhaps the redesign to make them smarter stonger better able to fight, altered the structure of the skull to make it unable to lose heat when it should - too insulated in the improved bone or .. something. Kinda lame, but other than that its just take it on the chin and say Sebeceans dont cool down when they sweat. And really do well in cold for unknown reasons.

Tho the naked mole rat does okay as cold blooded mammel, but I dont think it would survive cooler temperatures so well.

[thoth]

There's no inconsistency. In EFG D'Argo says that Sebaceans lack the gland for regulating extreme temperatures. That doesn't mean they're cold-blooded. Obviously Sebaceans sweat, but they're probably supposed to be lacking something that their human ancestors had that also aids in thermoregulation. Or maybe Sebaceans produce more heat than humans do and don't have anything extra to take care of it beyond normal human mechanisms?

[Mreen]

Yeah, but we're all really stretching it, covering up another goof in the show. When Crichton asked him "You mean they're cold blooded? Literally?" D'Argo accepted that. D'Argo, who was intimately familar with the ins and outs of Sebacean physiology and succeptibilties, would have corrected Crichton if it was wrong. Basically, it is a goof that the writers just never bothered to correct .. would have been nice to have someone explaining it to somebody at some point during the series. I think the writers just thought 'it sounded cool' and never went into the logistics .. certainly hoped we would never notice the obvious if they didnt.

[2Bones]

I think the reailty (used loosely) is close to what Thoth is saying. They lack sufficient thermoregulation systems.

I'm also in agreement with Mreen that the "cold-blooded" line was thrown in as a cool-sounding phrase with minimal scientific consideration. However, given the implied similarities in their DNA from procreation compatibility and common ancestry, I think the general wisdom has to be that Sebaceans are warm-blooded. (Insert comic-book guy graemlin here)

[littlejamie]

I agree. It was probably put in to sound cool. Along with Crichton being Crichton putting it into English terms.

Also with the temperatures the trackers sensed everyone but crichton was a new scent and temperature reading to them.

[TINemo]

Way down the myth of Farscape we learn that humans were taken from earth (I think supposedly 20,000 years ago )and one of the places they ended up were the Sebacean home worlds. It seems that they were genetically altered(20000 years isn't enough for much evolution to occur naturally) to among other things, be intolerant of heat, have the pregnancy statis capability, have geometric pregnancies that last a much shorter time than 40 weeks, heal quicker, etc etc etc.

I do not believe they are cold blooded(except in the ruthless killing sense), they just can't tolerate extreme heat.

[AERYNSUN]

well, as humans and sebaceans are very alike, the writers had to point out some differences to separate a human from a sebacean.

The genetic thing about pregnacies, I think Aeryn said in Natural Election that it was only applied on those who were born in Command Carriers,, that is all those were bred to be soldiers. To br ready for the battle as soon as possible after being wounded or pregnancies, or sopemthing like that.

[TINemo]

Yes. she said it(the genetic manipulation) was common to all Sebaceans born on the command carriers. That makes one wonder what those who were conscripted(like Crais) would be like. Judging by the story line of the Princess trilogies, Scarrans had the technology to alter DNA(or *poison*it) so that the princess was unable to mate with her own males. One could suppose then that the genetics of conscripted Pks maybe could be altered as well.

We are presently(in RL) capable of making drugs such as Humulin(insulin) with recombinant DNA, but I do not think we are ready to alter folks genetically.Perhaps if stem cell research is allowed to continue, we will eventually be able at least to grow new hearts, spinal cord neurons, etc.Many people fear that the next step then would be something like altering the DNA of a fetus or person with a chromosonal abnormality or of using the technology to grow specifically genetically selected individuals presumably superior in some way.

The fact that the PKs developed heat intolernce does not seem to be a favorable mutation so they would need to be careful that similar unfavorable side effects didn't happen.

I am too old to expect to see any of this happening in my lifetime, but scientifically I think it would be possible though not necessarily desirable.

[CaptainCrais]

Explained in Peace Keeper wars. The Eidelons found the Sebacceans (er Humans) on earth, and broght them to the Sebaccean systems, and Modified their Genetic code with generous Modifications to their Lineage. But apparently their Alterations may have Screwed up their Basic Biology to regulate something as simple as Thermal regulation. The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long, and all that fancy lingo. remember, you mess with one thing you screw up another. thats the laws of nature, physics, and life. i am sure thats what the writers were going for. you disrupt the natural order you get side effects.

[TINemo]

Yes and same thing with drugs and treatments. What fixes one thing may mess up something else. My number two son had Hodgkins lymph cancer. After 6 mos of chemo with three drugs and 15 radiation treatments his Hodgkins was better(he has been in remission for seven years but we are awaiting results of a biopsy done yesterday because we suspect it has moved to another place in his body.) Frell

Anyway, post treatment he is hypothyroid because his thyroid gland was damaged and his purine metabolism is screwed up so he gets episodes of gout. It's a tradeoff-----stasis pregnancy and heat intolerance, faster healing but a *porphryal(sp?) nerve whose damage is toxic unless you receive a tissue graft. And of course it's not that simple and you don't know what the long term side effects may be.

So it is with us Humans and with our Sebacean counterparts.

[AERYNSUN]

Hi, TINemo, I'm sorry to hear about your son. I hope the news about the byopsy are good and hope he will be ok soon. I also know what is having a beloved one woith cancer and I know it's hard. But he will be ok.

About Sebaceans, yeah, I think you are right. They say that inside one good thing there's a bad one. Sebaceans have all these imporvements that we don't have but have other bad things such as heat delirium, the paraphoral nerve and thigs that screwe them up easily.

That's the price to pay for doing genetics manipulations. You never know what the consequences will be.

We humans, as Sebaceans, must rely on science and doctors.

[Mreen]

Hope your son is gonna be alright TINemo.